Gennady Golovkin reacts from camp to Canelo’s positive test

Gennady Golovkin has given his first reaction to the news forthcoming opponent Canelo Alvarez has tested positive for Clenbuterol.

Canelo was informed of an adverse finding just days after the pair finished promoting the May 5 contest during a Los Angeles event, whilst only traces of the banned substance were found.

This means the Mexican will be given the benefit of the doubt as the drug is commonplace in his native country due to its controversial use in cattle feed.

WBC and WBA Presidents Mauricio Sulaiman and Gilberto Mendoza have both backed Canelo with the stipulation he must follow stricter guidelines during training, which has since been moved to the United States.

As he gets to work at The Summit Gym, four-belt middleweight king Golovkin said his sole focus was on being ready for the rematch, provided Canelo fully proves he’s clean for their second Las Vegas showdown.

“Of course, I still want to fight,” ‘GGG’ told The Ring Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Dougie Fischer in an exclusive interview. “I’m a fighter and I have unfinished business with Canelo.”

“It wasn’t pleasant to learn of this. I know Canelo. He doesn’t need any medicine or drugs like that. It’s not just a problem for Canelo, it’s a problem for his whole team.

“This drug has been found before in other athletes in Mexico, so they should have known.”

On what steps he may want taken regarding the initial test results, Golovkin added:

“There are obligations he and his team need to follow, there should be some penalties. It’s his obligation now to prove that he’s a clean athlete and this process has to be controlled by VADA and the commission.

“If the commission says everything is OK, then I will accept that, and I’m going to be ready to fight,” Golovkin continued.

“If Canelo is clean then I want to prove that I’m better than him. That’s why I’m in camp now.

“If I seem care-free it’s because when I’m in camp I’m not thinking about Canelo’s problems.

“I’m not a lab, I’m not a commission, I’m a champion in my gym and I’m happily doing my job,” said Golovkin.

As things stand, there’s no indication whatsoever that the fight will be cancelled. But should another test show any other adverse finding, there’s no doubt the return will collapse as a result.